Battle of Dujaila

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Dujaila
partof=World War I


caption=
date=March 8, 1916
place=Kut, present-day Iraq
result=Ottoman victory.
combatant1=flagicon|United Kingdom British Empire
combatant2=flagicon|Ottoman Empire Ottoman Empire
commander1=flagicon|United Kingdom Fenton Aylmer
commander2=flagicon|Ottoman Empire Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz
strength1=?
strength2=?
casualties1=4000
casualties2=?The Battle of Dujaila was fought on March 8, 1916, between British and Ottoman forces. The Ottoman forces, led by Colmar Freiherr von der Goltz were besieging Kut, when the British, led by Fenton Aylmer, attempted to relieve the city. The attempt failed, and General Aylmer lost 4,000 men.

Prelude

Throughout 1915 up until November, Expeditionary Force D as it was known as, advanced towards the Tigris River by both land and water and its advance guard was at Ctesiphon. Its situation looked promising, since it was established in the heart of the Ottoman Empire when the nearest Turkish reserves, according to British intelligence, were 400 miles distant in the Caucasus or 250 miles away at Aleppo in Syria.

However, the Turks at the time managed to assemble enough soldiers to send down the Tigris River to confront the oncoming Expeditionary Force. Major General Townshend who was the commander of Expeditionary Force D ordered a retreat 100 miles down river to Kut al-Amara. There, the force entrenched in a defensive position and awaited for their soldiers to return from the advance and eventual retreat along the river.

The Battle

The Turks who became masters of entrenchment warfare after their glorified victory at Gallipoli managed to encircle Townshend’s defensive position with elaborate trench networks. Having a strong defensive position, the Turks repelled attacks both by the garrison and by the relieving force which, between January and March, four times attempted to break through their lines. Each effort was unsuccessful and the last, known as the battle of Dujaili Redoubt, left a thousand dead at the scene of action.

Aftermath

After the defeat, annual floods from melted snow off the Zagros Mountains, re-supplied the rivers and put the Mesopotamian plain under water and was ultimately cut off from outside assistance and eventually surrendered on April 29th. Major General Townshend and 10,000 survivors of the Expeditionary Force went into captivity, where 4,000 died in enemy hands.

ources

Keegan John, “The Year of Battles,” chap. in The First World War. (Canada: Vintage Canada and colophon, 2000), pp. 300-301